


Love Will Heal

by TheOneWhoWanders



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 19:12:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4888723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOneWhoWanders/pseuds/TheOneWhoWanders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set the day after Episode 25. A Vaxleth moment in the aftermath of the confrontation with the Briarwoods.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Will Heal

Keyleth stood frozen at the door.

She had prepared a balm out of the dried herbs that Cleric Tristan had given her the night before so that Vax could more easily apply it himself. But now as she stood at his doorway looking at his taut shirtless frame she is momentarily caught off guard.

“Come in Keyleth”

“Yes, yes, of course” she replies, shaking the thoughts that had started to form out of her head.

“I’ve made you this, it’s to keep the infection out of your, um,” she glances quickly at the bite mark on his neck.

“It’s ok Kiki, I’m not biting people yet.” Vax turns away and fixes his hair to hide the wound still throbbing on his neck.

Although his words are dripping in sarcasm Keyleth doesn’t miss the slight tinge of fear in his voice and all of a sudden she has an urgent need to comfort him. To take him into her arms and let him know that everything is going to be alright. If it was any of the other members of Vox Machina she would have done it in an instant but with Vax it is different. She didn’t know why but it felt . . . different.

“Tristan said that you’re not going to turn. He said as long as the bite doesn’t get infected you’re going to be fine. That’s why I made you this balm. It’ll keep the infection away you just have to keep applying it. ”

Vax looks back at Keyleth and lets out a sigh.

“I know. But I would never be able to forgive myself if I turned on one of our group. Especially not my sister... or you.” “You’re not going to turn, don’t be silly.” Keyleth moves forward with the container of healing lotion motioning Vax to sit back on the bed.

“Besides, we can look after ourselves.”

“I know you can”

Keyleth tries not to notice the intense way that Vax stares at her as she applies the medicine to his neck. As she finishes she backs away awkwardly and brandishes the container in his direction.

“Anyway you can keep this now, just apply it once a day until it’s all healed up and you’ll be as good as gold”

“So I’m not going to get daily check-ups from our new resident healer then?”

“Well I made this so you could easily do it yourself.” A bit of confusion sneaking into her voice. “I thought you would prefer it that way. Besides, I’m no Pike. After making this balm for you there’s really not much more I can do.”

Vax can’t help but grin at the sight of her standing awkwardly in his room. He’s not sure how someone can manage to be so adorably awkward yet stunningly graceful at the same time. He sighs and decides that now’s as good a time as any.

“Keyleth, can I have a word with you before you go?”

Now thoroughly confused Keyleth nods and sits beside Vax on the bed.

“You know yesterday when I um. . .”His voice trails off searching for the right word.

“When you nearly died.” Keyleth finishes his sentence quietly, not sure if she really wants to think about that awful moment when she swooped out of the bedroom window to find an unconscious Vax lying beneath two people that she knows now to be vampires. Not wanting to relive the feeling of dread at the sight of his lifeless body on the grass of the courtyard.

“I was sure I was about to die. I thought about my sister and the life we’ve had together. And how proud I was of the woman she has grown up to be” His voice faultered now, partly with emotion and partly because he wasn’t sure how to go on.

“The two of you are very close. I must admit that sometimes I am a little bit jealous. I don’t know how Vex would have coped if you hadn’t been alright. Honestly I don’t know how I would have coped. I mean obviously Vex has known you longer it would have been harder on her but I still don’t think I would have handled that very well. I mean none of us would have. It would have been awful.” She was rambling now and Vax placed his hand over hers to calm her.

“Kiki, it’s ok. I’m ok”

Staring down at Vax’s hand in her lap, now it was Keyleth’s turn to faulter.

“There was another thing I thought of last night. I thought of you and how much you mean to me.”

Still staring intently at their hands now entwined in her lap Keyleth replies softly “You have been such a good friend to me Vax, I hope you know that you mean a great deal to me as well.”

As she looks up and their eyes lock she tries not to feel a flutter of hope. They were friends and nothing more. He probably felt the same way for everyone in their group. “All of Vox Machina do, we have become like a family. A weird, slightly dysfunctional, non traditional family” Keyleth bit her lip to stop herself from rambling on again as Vax tightened his grip on her hand.

“No Keyleth, just you. I mean I hoped the others were safe wherever they were, but you. . .” Bringing a hand up to her face he tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ears before he continued. “I had a vision of you, walking gracefully in the woods and I realise now Keyleth that there is no one in this world as beautiful as you. I guess I just wanted you to know that.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” The words that came out of Keyleth’s mouth were so quiet that had they not been sitting so close together would have been hard to hear.

Vax’s nod brought a slight smile to Keyleths now blushing face as he leaned in, softly pressing his lips against hers and for the second time that night Keyleth found herself frozen in place unable to believe that this was actually happening. Pulling away Vax mumbled an apology, all of a sudden doubting she felt the same way. As he stands and begins to move away he suddenly realises that Keyleth still has hold of his hand. She pulls him back towards her and says just as quietly as before.

“No, I’m sorry. Please, can you do that again?”

“What? Kiss you?”

Keyleth’s cheeks grew a deeper shade of red as she slowly nodded her reply. As Vax took Keyleth’s face in his free hand and they came together for a long, passionate kiss both of them realised just how lucky they were to have each other in their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> geekywanderlust on tumblr  
> LeeC5 on Twitter  
> Come say hi.


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